Following an inspection, the State Environmental Inspection in Zakarpattia Oblast did not find any violations at the Runa (Rivna) mountain pasture, where construction of a wind farm is underway without a positive conclusion from an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
This was stated by activists of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG), who were able to obtain a copy of the inspection report. It is available for viewing on the Telegram channel of this public organization.
Absurd results of the inspection
In the report, environmental inspectors Ihor Svereiak and Alla Vudmaska agreed with the position of the developer, Polonyna Rivna-1 Wind Park LLC, and determined that an EIA was not required for this construction project. Recall that the company claims that the construction of foundations for wind turbines, which began in April, is not part of the construction of a wind farm. Therefore, there is no need to wait for the conclusions of the environmental impact assessment.
Photo: facebook.com/SavePikuy.
This is despite the letter from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, which clearly states that the foundation of a wind turbine is part of the construction of a wind farm, and such construction cannot be carried out without an environmental impact assessment. The UPG emphasized that the word “foundation” is mentioned 290 (!!!) times in the EIA report itself, and according to the law, the assessment procedure applies to “the construction of wind farms as a whole, and not just the installation of turbines on ready-made foundations.”
Activists insist that the head of the State Environmental Inspection of Ukraine, Ihor Zubovych, and the head of the Ministry of Environment, Svitlana Grynychuk, should publicly comment on the situation regarding the Runa mountain pasture.
"Because what is happening is not just the destruction of the Ukrainian Carpathians, combined with shameful information campaigns against activists. It is the leveling of the European integration environmental standards that Ukraine has introduced in recent years. And if this is not stopped now, we will see the same stories with the development of other mountain pastures: Apetska, Svidovets, Krasna, and Hosta," warned environmentalists.
Photo: facebook.com/SavePikuy.
Chronicles of the confrontation
It should be recalled that the struggle between local residents and environmental activists against developers for this highland area began over a year ago. In early February 2024, Runa's defenders announced the disruption of public hearings on the construction of a wind farm at this location. In 3.5 hours, they failed to discuss a detailed plan for the territory with 30 wind turbines and a strategic environmental assessment report to identify risks and alternative locations for the implementation of this project.
A little later, in May, despite protests from local residents, 14 deputies of the Turia-Remetivska village council voted to grant permission for the construction of wind turbines on the Runa mountain pasture.
For a long time, the DEI completely ignored numerous appeals from the public demanding that the legality of the construction taking place on the mountain pasture be verified. After conducting an inspection, officials delayed and did not provide the public with the report compiled based on the results of the inspection.
In early May this year, the Transcarpathian District Administrative Court denied the international charitable human rights organization Ecology-Law-Man's request to secure a lawsuit in the case of the construction of a wind farm on the Runa mountain pasture.
And at the end of June, EcoPolitic reported that the public in Zakarpattia had initiated a petition to the newly appointed Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko demanding that the illegal construction of a wind farm on the Runa mountain pasture and roads to it through the primeval forests of the Carpathians be stopped.
